


Bottom's Up, Top Down

by hypnagogia



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Clueless Asexual Tom Riddle, Fluff and Humor, Harry Potter & Tom Riddle Grow Up Together, M/M, Pining Tom Riddle, Possessive Behavior, Tom Riddle is a Himbo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27456652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hypnagogia/pseuds/hypnagogia
Summary: They are now in their 5th year, and Tom is about to put the 5th step of his plan in motion.Sex, of all things, willnotstump him.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle
Comments: 21
Kudos: 284





	Bottom's Up, Top Down

Tom has had everything planned ever since they boarded their train to Hogwarts for the first time. 

His 12-steps plan is as follows: making sure he got sorted into whatever house Harry goes to, assert his dominance within his peers, observe Harry’s tastes and make sure the boy is always within his vicinity, recruit loyal followers, make Harry see him in a more romantic light (this, of course, includes getting rid of any competition there may be), research for immortality (both for him and Harry, of course), convince Harry to not go back to Wool’s and hunt for a flat with him instead, secure his future career (preferably somewhere in the more political facet of the Ministry—although, if push comes to shove, perhaps the Department of Mysteries is not so bad), romance Harry, work his way up in the Ministry, make sure Harry get whatever he wants, and live together with Harry forever.

It is all very simple, really.

They are now in their 5th year, and Tom is about to put the 5th step of his plan in motion. He knows that Harry plays in both fields, albeit leaning more towards men (not that he had gone anywhere beyond flirting, Tom made sure of that himself), and has a thing for fingers. Tom, of course, has been using the knowledge for his purposes.

He has managed to get Harry blush 124 times since the term started, aiming for a good 777 by the end of the year.

Still, that alone won’t be enough. He has to convince the boy that he is superior to all the imbeciles in their year, that their compatibility is unmatched; that they are perfectly made for each other. Yes, Tom is gay—that has not been in question for a long time, for he sees no one but Harry and Harry _is_ a cis male; and yes, he has just the kind of fingers Harry seems to find attractive, but there’s something else that has been occupying his mind lately: is Harry a top or is he a bottom? 

It is an extremely crucial matter. There will be different courses of action to execute for each option in order to ensure Harry’s romantic affection towards him—he _needs_ to know. 

Tom personally sees sex as nothing but a waste of time, but he _will_ accommodate Harry’s preference, whichever it may be. Sex, of all things, would _not_ stump him. 

He had tried his usual methods of observation, but nothing seemed to clue him into the exact answer to the conundrum. He had even lowered himself to the point of asking Ronald Weasley, of all people, but the result of that venture was nothing but bugged eyes and raucous laughter—utterly, painfully useless. 

Perhaps a more direct approach has to be carried out.

* * *

He corners Harry as he walks out of Divination, a class he took only because Harry insisted on taking it. It is the last class they have right before dinner, and he has a couple more hours before his prefect shift starts. Ample time for further attempts of seduction, should the event culminate to such a point, and he will have an arguably valid excuse to retreat with his dignity somewhat intact should it go shite. Nothing can possibly go wrong.

‘Harry,’ Tom says, tone as suave and unbothered as he can manage despite the thundering beats in his chest—he has yet to figure out how to make the conversation flow smoothly and not frighten Harry off. ‘Can we talk?’

‘Hm?’ Harry replies, his mind seemingly focused on another thing. That won’t do. Tom waves his hand in front of the boy, swaying his finger just the way he knows will make Harry stop and stare. True enough, it only takes 3 seconds before Harry’s attention snaps fully to him. ‘Oh, sure! What is it, Tom?’

Blush #125: obtained. 

‘It’s a bit of an intimate subject, so I think we should talk in a more private setting,’ Tom says, subtly coaxing Harry to continue walking while manoeuvring their steps to the direction of an unused class he had prepared for the occasion. ‘Would you mind?’

Harry blinks. Tom can see the confusion on his face. He is thinking about another way to convince Harry when the boy says, ‘No, that’s fine.’ 

They arrive in the room.

As Tom closes the door, Harry sits at the nearest table. ‘So, er, what is it?’ he says, scratching the back of his neck then starts mussing his already messy hair. Tom can not help but stare—his Harry has always been so adorable, so very bewitching. He wants nothing more than to run his hands on those locks, which he knows are much softer than they look. He can already picture them together, tangled in the bed they purchased with their own money (because he knows Harry won’t just let him buy all the furniture they need—he likes his independence, and Tom will give him that, to an acceptable degree), clothed in their warmest jumpers, Harry’s hands on his hips and his hands on Harry’s hair. Everything is perfect.

Such perfection, however, can only be achieved if he can pose his question right. He blanches. For the first time in his entire life, Tom’s brain stutters to a halt.

‘Tom?’ he hears Harry say. He jerks his head and blinks, only to realise that he’s still standing with his back on the door. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Are you a top or a bottom?’ he blurts out, and immediately winces. ‘I mean—’

‘Hmm,’ Harry tilts his head upwards. ‘It depends on the cuddle pile. I don't want too many people on top of me. But if it's six or less, I'm fine being at the bottom.’ 

‘No, that’s not what I mea—wait,’ Tom stops mid-word, the implication of Harry’s words ringing in his mind. He can feel the creases appearing in his forehead, his jaw going slack. ‘You're fine with _six_ people being on top of you?’

‘I mean, sure? I like the weight,’ Harry shrugs. ‘Though honestly, I have not found that many people who would agree. I’d ask the Weasleys, but it’s been awkward since the whole thing with Ginny happened,’ he grimaces—Tom has to hold himself from puffing his chest for a job well done, ‘so I’m just thinking of getting some heavy bolsters, if I ever feel desperate enough.’

That… That can work with Tom. ‘I see.’

‘Is that all?’ Harry asks bemusedly, lifting one of his eyebrows in a mock of Tom’s bored expression. _He can never nail it_ , Tom thinks. _H_ _e is far too adorable to look even the slightest bit apathetic, let alone managing the more menacing variant of such façade_.

He nods.

‘You know what, I’m not even going to ask why,’ Harry snorts. ‘Let’s just go get dinner. I’m famished.’

* * *

(Tom's brain does not register the fact that his original question is yet to be answered until his rounds bring him to the room where Harry and he had talked earlier. 

He takes a deep breath, then repeatedly bangs his head into the door.)

**Author's Note:**

> based on [this](https://whotooklortan.tumblr.com/post/634085917897916416/prompt-27) prompt on tumblr:  
> “Are you a top or a bottom?”  
> “It depends on the cuddle pile. I don’t want too many people on top of me. But if it’s six or less, I’m fine being at the bottom.”  
> “Not what I mea- wait, you’re fine with _six_ people being on top of you?”
> 
> yes i am aware that this is technically a monday and yes i am aware that i have not made any progress on my thesis but. but.
> 
> p. s. i'm really bad at managing multiple accounts but uhh come and shout at me on [tumblr](http://hypnagogue.tumblr.com) if you want? no pressure ofc uwu


End file.
